Does this look like a lottery scam?
One warning sign does not prove every message is fraudulent, but several of these together should be treated as a reason to stop and verify independently.
Stop. Break contact. Verify. Report.
Current Report Fraud guidance for suspicious lottery approaches starts with breaking the contact: do not reply, click the supplied links, call the supplied numbers or make a payment. If you want to check the claim, contact the organisation using details you know are genuine.
The fake prize is usually only the beginning
Lottery fraud often develops in stages. The first message creates excitement; later steps extract money, identity documents or financial information.
1. The “win”
You receive an email, text, letter, social message or call claiming you have won a lottery, sweepstake or prize draw.
2. The verification story
You are asked to contact an “agent”, fill in forms or send identification so the claim can supposedly be validated.
3. The fee
A tax, legal, banking, courier or release charge appears. Paying one fee can lead to another.
4. The follow-up
If you engage, fraudsters may seek more money, use your identity details or later approach you with a recovery scam.
Fake win, fee and identity scams to recognise
Fake lottery-win notification
You are told you won an overseas, online or unfamiliar lottery that you do not remember entering. The scam relies on the excitement of the supposed prize.
Advance-fee “release” scam
The prize is always just one payment away: tax, legal fees, banking charges, insurance, courier costs or administration.
Identity-document harvesting
Passport, driving-licence, proof-of-address or bank information is requested in the name of “winner verification”.
Phishing link or fake claim website
The message sends you to a cloned or invented site designed to steal passwords, payment details or personal data.
Fake claims officer or agent
A confident caller or email contact acts as the official intermediary and keeps you inside communication channels controlled by the fraudster.
Recovery scam
After an earlier loss, somebody claims they can recover your money for an upfront fee. Previous fraud victims can be targeted again.
How to check a lottery win without trusting the message
The safest check starts outside the message itself.
| What you have | Do not rely on | Safer check |
|---|---|---|
| Email or text | The link, reply address or phone number inside it. | Find the official lottery or organisation through a trusted search or a website you already know. |
| Phone call | Caller ID or a number the caller tells you to ring back. | End the call and use the organisation's published contact details. |
| Website | Professional design, logos, security icons or a familiar-looking domain. | Check the exact domain independently and avoid logging in through an unexpected link. |
| Financial adviser or firm | A Firm Reference Number, website or phone number supplied by the person contacting you. | Use the FCA Firm Checker and contact the genuine firm through the details shown there. |
| Claim documents | Seals, certificates, official-looking forms or legal language. | Verify the supposed issuer independently before signing, paying or sending identity documents. |
What to do if you interacted with a suspicious lottery message
You clicked but entered nothing
Close the page and do not return through the message. Follow current NCSC phishing guidance, particularly if anything downloaded or your device behaved unexpectedly.
NCSC phishing guidance ↗You entered a password
Change that password immediately, including on any other account where you reused it. Protect your email account first if the same credentials were involved.
You entered card or banking details
Contact your bank or payment provider immediately using trusted contact details. Do not wait for an unauthorised transaction to appear.
You sent identity documents
Preserve the messages and make an official fraud report. Report Fraud also advises monitoring your credit file if identity theft may be involved.
Contact the bank first — then report the fraud
Speed matters after a payment. Official UK fraud guidance says to notify your bank or payment provider as soon as possible so it can secure the account and consider recovery options.
Tell your bank or payment provider
Explain that you believe the payment was made as part of a scam. Use a verified number, such as the one on the back of your card or the bank's official website.
Preserve evidence
Keep emails, texts, screenshots, account names, payment references, phone numbers, website addresses and documents.
Expect possible follow-up fraud
Do not pay an unsolicited “investigator” or recovery company that promises to retrieve the money for another fee.
Where to report a lottery scam in 2026
Action Fraud was replaced by Report Fraud on 4 December 2025. The reporting route now depends on where you are and whether this is an attempted scam or an actual fraud.
England, Wales & Northern Ireland
Use Report Fraud to report cyber crime or fraud to the police. The online reporting hub operates at all times; the contact centre number is 0300 123 2040.
Report fraud or cyber crime ↗Scotland
Report Fraud says fraud and cyber crime in Scotland should be reported locally to Police Scotland on 101.
See official reporting guidance ↗Suspicious email
If you have received a suspicious email, the National Cyber Security Centre says you can forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. Do not click the links first.
NCSC scam-email reporting ↗Suspicious text
Most UK mobile providers allow suspected scam texts to be forwarded free to 7726, allowing the provider to investigate the sender.
NCSC scam-text reporting ↗Attempted fraud with no loss
Report Fraud can collect information about bogus lottery approaches even where you did not respond or lose money. These information reports help police understand criminal activity.
Report an attempted fraud ↗Clone financial firm
Use the FCA Firm Checker and Warning List if an adviser or financial firm contacts you unexpectedly. Always use contact details taken from the FCA record rather than from the caller.
FCA Warning List & Firm Checker ↗Real lottery winners face a different scam problem
This page is mainly about fake prize claims: messages saying you won when the prize itself is fraudulent. Once somebody has genuinely won or is publicly known to have substantial money, the risks change to investment fraud, fake advisers, impersonation, romance scams, payment diversion, property fraud and other sudden-wealth targeting.
Lottery scam protection FAQs
Practical answers about fake wins, advance fees, suspicious links, reporting and verifying advisers.
Can you win a lottery you never entered?
Do genuine lotteries ask for a fee before releasing winnings?
How can I check whether a lottery win message is genuine?
Can a scam email or text use a real lottery name and logo?
What if the sender knows my name or other personal details?
Why do lottery scammers ask for passport or driving-licence copies?
What should I do if I clicked a suspicious lottery link?
What should I do if I already paid a lottery scammer?
Where should I report a lottery scam in the UK?
How do I report a suspicious lottery email or text if I have not lost money?
What is a lottery recovery scam?
How can I check a financial adviser who contacts me after a lottery win?
Are scams targeting real lottery winners covered on this page?
What is the simplest rule for an unexpected lottery-win message?
Where the fraud advice on this page comes from
This guide uses current UK police, cyber-security and financial-regulator guidance. Scam methods change quickly, so reporting routes and verification advice should be checked against the official services when an incident occurs.
- Report Fraud — Lottery scams. Fake wins, advance fees, identity theft, recovery scams and what victims should do.
- Report Fraud — Reporting cyber crime and fraud. Current police reporting route for England, Wales and Northern Ireland and Police Scotland route.
- Report Fraud — Information reports. How attempted bogus-lottery approaches can be reported even where no money was lost.
- NCSC — Report a scam email. Current Suspicious Email Reporting Service.
- NCSC — Report a scam text. 7726 guidance for suspicious SMS messages.
- FCA — Warning List and Firm Checker. How to identify unauthorised and clone financial firms.